1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a columnar cover for an installed adjustable floor jack described as a More specifically, the invention is a decorative and accident preventive plastic sheath designed to cover adjustable jacks supporting horizontal beams, mobile homes and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art of interest describes various covers for lifting jacks, support columns and the like. The related art will be discussed in the order of perceived relevance to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,358 issued on Oct. 9, 1990, to Dietrich Menzel describes a wooden (or synthetic material) decorative column consisting of equal or unequal diameter rings which have either a grooved or smooth outside surface for housing an I-beam or a table leg. If a cover is manufactured by a factory, the glued rings can be either cut into cylindrical halves or gluing stacked half-rings. The decorative columns are distinguishable for constituting permanent installations and lacking the inner protrusions for housing an extendible jack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,167 issued on Aug. 19, 1986, to Parker Thorne describes a fabricated round interior column and method of construction. Fiber tube members are secured to metal framing anchored in a spaced relationship to a structural supporting column. A finish coating is troweled on and painted. The cover is distinguishable for its excessive spaced relationship to the column.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,471 issued on Aug. 9, 1994, to Daniel J. Kupiec describes a round column enclosing kit with a square cover comprising four rectangular cover plates anchored by collar pairs. The cover is distinguishable for its excessive spaced relationship to the column.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,584 issued on Aug. 28, 1984, to Crites et al. describes a method and apparatus for attaching furring to columns. A four-sided column is covered with rectangular furring by banded clips. The cover is distinguishable for its reliance on banded clips attached to the column.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,028 issued on Dec. 21, 1976, to John Pelletier et al. describes a furring and fireproofing protection clip assembly for attaching a partition or a duct to a support covered with a layer of fireproofing material. The cover assembly is distinguishable for its excessive spaced relationship to the duct and the required clip assembly.
Each patent presents the following problems or disadvantages: (a) requires utilization of a large number of components to be assembled about a column; (b) is not suitable for use in covering floor jacks which have protruding pins; (c) requires greater then desired levels of weight; (d) requires greater than desired levels of expense in materials and labor in assembling; and/or (e) requires greater than desired amounts of total volume thereby utilizing excessive enclosure space.
Consequently, there is a need and desire to provide a system for encasing floor jacks which utilizes a minimal amount of labor, weight of materials, volume of materials, relatively easy and inexpensive to assemble, a non-twisting cover vis-a-vis the floor jack, and yet be decorative.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a floor jack covering device solving the aforementioned problems is desirable.